a mineral soil (Farnham and Finney, 1965), which provides a high potential for diffusion and storage of O2 Organic soils in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of southfor microbial utilization in the organic soil. Neller (1943) ern Florida, USA, are subsiding due primarily to oxidation by aerobic microorganisms. Since there are large C losses in drained Histosols, reported that soil O2 rang...

chlorotica Aporrectodea rosea X-ray tomography Burrow networks Microcosms Earthworms are considered as key actors of soil processes at different spatial and temporal scales and provide essential ecosystem services linked to climate regulation or primary production. However, little is known about their basic functional roles (e.g. organic matter decomposition, soil structuring processes) in pert...

Arctic landscapes are characterized by a diversity of ecosystems, which differ in plant species composition, litter biochemistry, and biogeochemical cycling rates. Tundra ecosystems differing in plant composition should contain compositionally and functionally distinct microbial communities that differentially transform dissolved organic matter as it moves downslope from dry, upland to wet, low...

Soil organic C or organic matter has been studied under various plant communities. In comparisons of similar soils having either grassland or forest vegetation, surface horizons of the forest soil may have lower levels of soil C (Ugolini and Schlichte, 1973; Almendinger, 1990) or higher levels (Jenny, 1980). Even between forest types, soil C may vary. Alban (1982) found the forest floor in a Po...

BACKGROUND Allelopathic functions of plant-released chemicals are often studied through growth bioassays assuming that these chemicals will directly impact plant growth. This overlooks the role of soil factors in mediating allelopathic activities of chemicals, particularly non-volatiles. Here we examined the allelopathic potential of 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ), a chemical reported to be exuded fro...

Analysis of data from the long term trash management trial at Mount Edgccombe (BTI) has shown that, after 59 ycars of green cane harvesting, with trash retention there was a significant incr-ease in soil organic matter content in thc surface 10 cm of soil compared with burning. The size of the microbial biomass, and its rcspiratory rate, dchytlrogenase activity and arginine ammonification rate ...

β-glucosidase (E.C. 3.2.1.21), an enzyme involved in cellulose degradation, plays an important role in the soil organic carbon cycle. Cellulose is the most abundant organic compound in the biosphere so a product of its enzymatic hydrolysis is important as an energy source for soil microorganisms. Since β-glucosidase is very sensitive to different factors, determination of its activity might be ...

The productive capacity of soils is directly associated with their organic matter content which is the main reservoir of organic carbon and main source of nutrients for plants (Grandy et al., 2006; Studdert et al. 1997; Sisti et al., 2004; Urquiaga et al., 2004). A sustained increase in the concentration of organic carbon is needed to establish a land management system where the degradation of ...

soil characteristics is very important in water erosion processes. the present investigation was conducted in gully lands of ardebil province, iran, to assess the role of soil texture and structure on aggregate stability using wet sieve method. to achieve the study purposes, mean weighted diameter of aggregates was calculated, and its relationships with lime and clay percentages, sodium absorpt...

Global consciousness of food safety, health and environmental issues has stimulated interest in alternative agricultural systems like organic farming. Since information on organic farming of tuber crops is meagre, a field experiment was conducted in split plot design over a five-year period at Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, India. The aims were to evaluate the impact of organic, c...